Blue Peter's concrete jungle

Wednesday 16 June 2010 09.41 EDT
First published on Wednesday 16 June 2010 09.41 EDT

This may not look like much now. But the area Monkey has circled in the picture will soon blossom into the national treasure that is the Blue Peter garden. Yup. Despite reports about it being consigned to the rubbish heap, plans show the area earmarked for the garden when the BBC children's department and Blue Peter move from London to their new home in Salford next year. At the moment it may be just a slab of cement on top of an office block. But this rooftop plot will one day become the inspiration for a new generation of horticulturalists. And a pet cemetery for Blue Peter pets. Actually Monkey hears only tortoises have been buried in the existing garden and it's unlikely that tradition will continue. At least by putting the garden on the roof it will will help avoid a repeat of the notorious 1983 vandalism which the late Percy Thrower declared must have been done by people who were "mentally ill". Monkey reckons that line probably wouldn't get through BBC editorial compliance nowadays.